Changeable-dial watchman&#39;s timer.



No. 898,405. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908. J. J. PITZSIMMONS.

GHANGEABLE DIAL WATO'HMANS TIMER.

PPL 0N FILED FEB. 28, 1908. A IOATI 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

\ lulnfimmiiiir Thu" No. 898,405. PATENTED SEPT. s, 1908. J. J. FITZSIMMONS.

GHANGEABLE DIAL WATGHMANS TIMER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1908. v

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No. 898,405. PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1908.

- J. J. FITZSIMMONS.

GHANGEABLE DIAL WATGHMANS TIMER.

ATION FILED r .28 1908. APPLE B s SHEETS-SHEET s.

JOSEPH JAMES FITZSIMMONS, OF PORTLAND, OREGQN.

CHANGEABLE-DIAL WATCHMANS TIMER.

Application filed February 28, 1908.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908. Serial No. 418,401.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH JAMES FITZ- SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portland, in the county of Mult nomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ohangeable- Dialatchmens Timers, of which the following 1s a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as constituting a part thereof.

This invention has for its object to obtain an inexpensive reliable device by which to keep a check on the diligence of watchmen and the time of service of other employees, the idea in mind being to provide a clockcontrolled device which shall display certain cipher signs at certain periods of time, which signs the employee is required to note and report; and the employer translating the cipher signs, by the aid of a key in his possession, is thereby apprised of the exact time when the observations reported were made, and thus can check up the faithfulness of the services of his employee.

I attain my object by the mechanism illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective front View of my device; complete with case; Fig. 2 is a like view, except that the front and back doors of the case are represented as open, and a fullfaced view of the hour and minute dials of my device is seen; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the case, showing an end view of the frame of the clockworks, the hour and minute dials thereof, and indicating by dotted lines the location of the main Spring-axle and hour and minute posts of the clockworks, all other parts of which are omitted since the details thereof are well known and individually unimportant; Fig. 4 is an enlarged face-view of the hour dial of my device; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of said hour dial, also showing the means for fastening the same in place on the hollow hour-post of the clock-works; Fig. 6 is a correspondingly enlarged face-view ofthe minute dials of the clock-works of my device; Fig. 7 is a vertical central section of Said minute dial, also showing the means for fastening the same on the minute post of the clock-works Fig. 8 is a top view, showing case of my device with top removed, the frame of my clock-works, and the means provided for allowing the removal of same for repair; F ig. 9 is a sectional side-elevation of the frame of my clock-works, also showing the escapement wheel and an arm arranged to be thrown into contact therewith to stop the clock while setting same, is desired; Fig. 10 is a partial bottom view of the same parts, illustrating the same feature as preceding figure; and Fig. 11 shows the key used in connection with my device.

Referring now to the reference letters: My device is operated by a clock-work comprising a frame a, in which are supposed to be housed the usual works (not shown) for revolving the hour and minute hands over the dial-face of a clock. The hands, usually fastened on the hollow hour-post and on the minute-post projecting through the latter, are removed'and in place thereof is mounted on the hollow hour-post of the clock-works a circular hour-dial b. The attachment mentioned is effected by securing on said hollow hour-post a small circular disk 0, having in its rim a series of radially disposed holes (Z to correspond with the different radial positions of the hour-hand,'in a clock, on the stroke of the hour. Since it is desirable to impose a minimum weight on the hourpost, I make said small dial 0 of aluminum, affixed to a brass sleeve 0' (see Fig. 5) fitting over an eX- tension of the common hour-post and provided with a set-screw c, by which to clamp the same in place. It is necessary to make the hour-post of the clock-works somewhat longer than commonly made, so as to provide room for the parts of my device mounted thereon. My hour dial 1) is conveniently made of AA drawing paper, which material possesses all the required properties with respect to lightness, strength andstiifness. To secure said hour-dial b in place I provide a small disk f, also made of aluminum and having a series of radially disposed pins f arranged to register with the radial holes (Z of the disks 0. The disk f is made with a tight fitting sleeve g, which is provided to enable the convenient removal and adjustment of my hourdial, as required, to set my time as below explained. The paper hour-dial b is provided with holes registering with the pins f of the disk f, and is fastened to the disk f in such wise as to bring the radial lines I), representing the hour periods, into alinement with the pins f to be inserted in the holes (Z. Of course it is not essential that the holes (Z of the disks 0, and the pins f of the disk f be made to aline with the radial lines f of the dial 1), but the described construction is more convenient and assures accuracy of adjustpriately sent any particular ment of the hour-dial b; for when setting the latter, as hereinafter described, said dial is revolved by its sleeve g until the pins f register with the holes (1 of the disk 0, to cause the particular one of the radial lines I) on the hour-dial b to register with the hour ciphers hof the fixed outer ring it. To facilitate the adjustment of the hour-dial b, the mouths of the holes d are preferably counter-sunk so as to more readily receive the pins 1" of the disk The rim of the hour-dial b is made with a series of disks 'i, colored or otherwise appromarked to represent in cipher notation the hours of a clock dial. By proceeding as described, the hour-dial b may be so arranged as to cause any of the said colored or cipher disks to be alined with, and reprehour-figure of the ring h, and this feature of my device provides for the changing of said cipher characters as desired. In other words, the means described enable me, as is obvious, to make an indefinite number of changes with regard to the particular cipher-characters displayed by my hour-dial b at a certain time, so as to render it impos sible for the employee to work out the system of notation used by his employer, and deceive his employer by reporting observations of cipher characters at certain periods of time without actually having been on the ground in person to make the observation reported.

The ring 7L bearing the hour-figures (h) I, etc. is fastened by posts k (see Figs. 3 and 5) to the front face of the clock-frame a, and is arranged in the same vertical plane as the hour-dial b. When the clock-works of my device are inclosed in its case j, and the front door is of the latter is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, the ring h will be concealed from view and only a part of the series of cipherdisks i on the rim i of the hour-dial b will be observable. In front of the hour-dial I) there is removably fastened on the minute post of the clock-works a small disk of aluminum Z, to the front face of which is removably fastened a dial-face m. To accomplish the fastening just described, the aluminum disk Z is made with a brass sleeve Z, adapted to be securely slipped on the minute-post Z of the clockwork. The outer portion of the sleeve Z is made with an exterior thread to receive a nut Z by which to clamp the dial on (also made of AA paper like the dial 1)) in place. The dial-face m, in its movement corresponds with and represents the minute hand of the common clock, and to this end it is provided on its face with radial divisions m representing the usual minute notations, m from 1 to 60 of a clock. Said minute notations are, however, imprinted on a circular space set some distance inward from the rim, m of the minute dial m, and when the door 7c of the case is closed, are concealed from view. On the rim m of said minute dial m I imprint a series of cipher characters m, ar-

ranged to be seen in part through an aperture is therefor made in the door 7c of the case and representing the radial divisions of the minute figures or notations 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. on the common clock-face, the spaces intermediate of which cipher characters we are graduated by short radial lines m (see Fig. 6) so as to divide each intermediate space into five minute periods.

To so arrange my device that the clockwork may be removed from the case for the purpose of repair, I make the sides of the case with vertical grooves 9', adapted to receive the edges of the clock-frame a, as illustrated in the plan section Fig. 8; and for the same purpose the section j of the top of the case is made removable. Since the scheme in mind contemplates the possible using of card slips by the employee on which to note his observation of the dials of my device at certain times, I deem it convenient to provide in the bottom of the case 3' of my device a drawer 0, which when the back door k is opened, may be pulled out and used as a depository for said card-slip reports. The door 76 at the back of the case also gives access to the winding (16*) and setting (75) means of theclock works, as represented in Fig. 3. These are, however, details of construction which, I merely suggest to make the manufacture of my device convenient.

Since it may be convenient to stop the clock movement of my device, during the time that the dials b and m thereof are set I have provided an arm n, fast on a spindle n, having an exterior turn-button n so that by rotating said spindle said arm n may be thrown lightly in contact with the escapement p of the clockworks to stop the clock; and when the adjustment of the dials has been properly made, by then turning the arm n back to the position thereof shown in dotted outlines in Fig. 9, the clock-works are released and started.

The inner face of the door k, or if said door be made of metal, then the body thereof must be adapted to receive the projecting portions of the hour and minute posts of the clock-works and the dials b, m, secured thereon as above mentioned. The openings k,

3 of the door is are so arranged as to disclose those of the series of cipher or colored disks i of the dial 1) which represent the hour, and the letter-ciphers m on the graduated ring m of the dial which represent the minutes of the time of observation. The larger opening 7? of the door may be covered with glass.- Above the opening k is marked a down pointing arrow q, (see Fig. 1) to indicate the posi tion in which one of said colored disks, 'i, must stand, when indicating the stroke of the hour, and also to guide the observing employee to correctly report his observations of the dials of my timer. That is to say, since it is desirable to take into account the seaaos number of minutes past a certain hour, I found it convenient to always display portions of two cipher or colored disks through the opening 7c of the case. As already mentioned, the radial lines I) extend through the colored disks t" and when such radial lines I) of a certain cipher or colored disk i stands in vertical alinement with the arrow 9, the cipher character of such disk represents the hour, on the stroke as it were, and said disk is thence to be noted and reported until the hour-dial b has revolved to such an extent as to bring another cipher or colored disk i in registration with said arrow 9, whereupon such other colored disk i is to be noted andthe disk first observed is thenceforth to be disregarded.

The operation of my device may be more readily understood by bearing in mind that any of the cipher disks t" and the radial lines I) intersecting the same, on the dial 6, may be selected to represent the hourhand, and any of the cipher letters m, and the radial lines m intersecting such letters may be selected to represent the minute-hand of my clock movement, and the revolution of said selected cipher-characters is then to be followed just like the hands of a clock. And now, to illustrate the practical working of my device, it will be assumed that the emr ployer has selected that of the cipher disks i inscribed Gold (and in practice also so colored) to represent the hour-hand, and has selected the cipher letter z of the characters m to represent the minute-hand, and that the clock movement was set at twelve oclock noon, the dials b, 1n would appear as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The Roman numerals m of the dial m, merely represent the figures m in the sense of expressing that said dial m is radially divided into twelve five -minute periods. It will now be assumed that the door of the case is closed and conceals all of the dial faces I), m except such portions thereof as are visible through the openings k 7c; and that a watchman, on his rounds during the night, takes an observation of my timer at forty-three minutes past four oclock; there would be visible to the watchman, through the hour 0 ening 715 that one of the cipher-disks i whicli is marked (and colored) purple, said purple disk being positioned at the time to the right of the arrow g, while through the opening 7c the watchman could see the letter J and three of the marks m to the left thereof; of all of which facts the watchman would make note on a card or other memorandun1slip, which he delivers to his employer in the morning, or deposits in some receptacle from which it may be taken by the employer at his convenience. The employer is provided with what I term a key, shown in Fig. 11, and comprising a card on which is rotatably mounted a dial 1", being a counter-part of the hour-dial b of my device,

of the hour-dial b' the top part of the case j, as shown, the employer knows how the cipher-characters reported were positioned when seen by his watchman; and consequently by correspond- 4 ingly arranging his key and observing then the relative positions of his selected hour and minute cipher-characters Gold and Z, of the dials b, m, he can accurately tell the time of the reported observation. The key is arranged first to translate the hour-cipher re orted, and then re-arranged to translate t 1e minute cipher reported. Supposing the key to be arranged to show the disk pur )le under the figure XII then Gold (the hour-hand) must, at the time, have been at the figure 1111 on the ring it. As shown in Fig. 11 the key is set to translate the minute-cipher report. 2, the se lected minute-cipher, points to forty-three minutes. Therefore the observation reported must have been made at forty-three minutes past four o"clock. It is to be noted that the opening 7r for observing the ciphers on the dial, m, is so arranged as to conceal all parts of the rim m of the dial except one letter and the marks m to the left thereof representing, as already mentioned, the divisions of the space between any two letters m into five-minute periods. In taking an observation of the cipher characters displayed through the opening 7c of the case door, the marks on the left of the cipher-letter are only to be observed and noted. The case opening 1c? for observing the cipher-disks t" on the. hour-dial b is so arranged as to display portions of two cipher-disks at a time; that is to say, one cipher-disk being seen in its entirety and the other being partly concealed; the movement to the right of the cipher-disk, seen in its entirety, is to be alone observed and reported. But when the cipher-disk gradually appearing in view at the left end of the opening 7: is so positioned as-to bring its diametrical, radial line 7) into alinement with the arrow 9, then such cipher-disk is in turn to be followed, and the cipher-disk disappearing on the right thereof is to be disregarded.

It is to be noted, by observing Fig. 1, that to accomplish the pur ose in mind the opening 76* (as seen) is ma e with a radially positioned straight edge It at the right end, and with a semi-circular edge 16 at its left end, so as to entirely disclose to view the cipher-disk of the series t, which is alined under the arrow (1 and to conceal one-half of the cipherdisk to the right thereof, which from thenceforth gradually disappears from view under the edge 76*; and likewise, to the same purpose the opening it has a circular edge 7c on the right end thereof (as seen in Fig. 1) and a straight radial edge k on the left end thereof.

It remains but to be said that in order to reset my timer, so as to change the cipher displayed at any particular time of the day from that which is displayed under the circumstances above set forth, all required to be done is to rearrange the hour-dial b so as to cause either of the other series of cipher-disks 'L to represent the hour of XII, for example; and a like re-arran'gement may also be made, if desired, of the minute-dial m.

I claim:

1. An employees timer comprising a clockmovement, an hour-hand post and minutehand post, an hour-dial mounted on and rotated by said hour-hand post, having radially spaced cipher-characters on its face arranged relatively to the figures of a clockdial, a fixed ring on the frame of the clockmovement and appropriately marked to represent a clock-dial, said ring being arranged to encircle the said hour-dial, a minute-dial mounted on and rotated by said minutehand post, in front of said hour-dial, also having cipher-characters on its face arranged relatively to the figures of a clock-dial, and a screen having apertures arranged to disclose certain of said cipher-characters on said hour and minute-dials to view, but concealing all the remainder of said cipher-characters.

2. An employees timer comprising a clockmovement, an hour-hand post and minutehand post, an hour-dial removably mounted on and rotated by said hour-hand post, having radially spaced cipher-characters on its face arranged relatively to the figures of a clock-dial, a fixed ring on the frame of the clock-movement and appropriately marked to represent a clock-dial, said ring being arranged to encircle the said hour-dial, a minute-dial removably mounted on and rotated by said minute-hand post, in front of said hour-dial, also having cipher-characters on its face arranged relatively to the figures of a clock-dial, and a screen having apertures arranged to disclose certain of said ciphercharacters on said hour and minute-dials to view, but concealing all the remainder of said cipher-characters.

3. An employees timer comprisingaclockmovement, an hour-hand-post and minute hand post, an hour-dial removably mounted on and rotated by said hour-hand post, having radially spaced cipher characters on its face arranged relatively to the figures of a clock-dial, a fixed ring on the frame of the clock-movement and appropriately marked to represent a clock-dial, said ring being arranged to encircle the said hourdial,- a minute-dial removably mounted on and rotated by said minute-hand post, in front of said hour-dial, also having ciphercharacters on its face arranged relatively to the figures of a clock-dial, and a case inclosing said clock-movement, said case having apertures in its front wall arranged to disclose certain of said cipher-characters on said hour and minute-dials to view, but concealing all of the remainder of said cipher-characters.

JOSEPH JAMES FITZSllllMON-S.

WVitnesses:

T. J. GEISLER, CECIL Lone. 

